Quote:
Originally Posted by troypiggo
Obviously H will offer more experienced advice than I can, but I have gone through a bit of a lens lineup rearrangement/overhaul recently (hence all the sales here) and might throw in my 2 cents' worth. Some of the things you might have to think about:
* Zoom or prime? Zoom will offer more flexibility, but primes tend to be sharper on average.
* What body you going to put it on? Crop or FF?
* Indoors or outdoors portraits?
* Formal portraits or candids?
* What's your budget?
* The "right" solution may need to consider whether it's just for personal use or if you're thinking of going professional.
Zooms you might be looking at 24-70L or 70-200L. They're the common ones on FF cameras and wedding photogs. f/2.8 for lower light situations. If your budget is tight and you can live with f/4, the 70-200 f/4 is one of the sharpest zoom lenses you can get and awesome bang for buck.
Primes on a FF the common ones are 50, 85, and 135 depending on indoors vs outdoors and headshots vs body. I've gone the 85L and 135L. You wouldn't get the 50 and 85 at the same time, too similar IMO. On a tighter budget, the 85 f/1.8 or 50 f/1.4 come highly rated. I got the 85 f/1.8 but decided to upgrade to the 85L, hence the sale. It's a wonderful lens.
Primes on a crop, you might look at the 50 and 85 combo.
I know I might sound like a broken record when talking about lenses, but can't recommend highly enough spending a bit of time in the POTN lenses section. Particularly the Lens Sample Photo Archive. Look for the 50 f/1.4, 50 f/1.2L, 85 f/1.8, 85 f/1.2L (Keg), and 135 f/2 ones I reckon.
That's all just listing the Canons as you requested. There are highly rated 3rd party lenses like Sigmas that can open a whole other range of alternatives.
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Thanks Troy, man you go to some effort. You absolutely rock!
- I will be using it on a full frame (5DMkII)
- Usually outdoor, but some indoors (using light through windows and doors)
- Budget is up to 2K
- Formal and candid mix
- Not sure on whether to go with a prime or zoom yet. I am told around 70 to 85mm is preferable from a distance of up to 5 metres away.
I will go back to POTN for the lens talk some more and keep feeling my way around. Thanks so much for the advice and focus on the questions Troy.
Baz.